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Trick-or-treat your way to good health

Learn how to keep your Halloween celebrations healthy this year.

As we move further along in October and the
leaves turn colors and fall, thoughts turn to Halloween costumes, parties and
trick-or-treating. Enjoying a healthy holiday that is traditionally filled with
candy and sweet treats can be done with careful planning. It can be difficult
to make healthy choices when surrounded by candy and treats from numerous
Halloween parties and trick-or-treating. If you and your family have been
practicing healthy eating habits on a regular basis, it should be easier to
make good choices when it comes to the treat-filled holiday.

If you or your children are
attending school or family Halloween parties, think outside of the box for a
healthy Halloween snack to send for the party. A few ideas could be popcorn
balls, sliced apples and fruit or peanut butter dips, homemade pretzels and
dips, or dried fruit. Kids can make a yummy treat for their school parties with
English muffins, fruit and or peanut butter dip and then use raisins,
blueberries, sliced fruit, chocolate chips and other items to decorate and make
a scary face on the muffins.

When it comes time for
trick-or-treating, make sure to allow time for kids to eat a healthy dinner or
snack before they go to help them resist the urge to dig into their Halloween
bags for a snack. Kids need to be reminded for safety reasons, not to eat any Halloween candy or treats
until they get done trick or treating and a parent or adult inspects their
items. After the safety inspection, help you child monitor how much of their
treats they enjoy at a time. Help your children understand that high calorie,
sugar and fat treats can fit into a healthy lifestyle in moderation.

Looking for healthier options to hand out to your
trick or treaters? There are numerous possibilities for healthy food treats or
even nonfood items to consider:

Popcorn
balls

Cereal
bars

Trail
mix

Packages
of low-fat crackers with cheese or peanut butter filling

Animal,
gold fish or graham crackers

Raisins
and chocolate covered raisins

Sugar-free
gum or hard candy

Gummy
candies made with real juice

Individual
juice drinks (100 percent juice)

Snack
pack pudding

Applesauce
cups

Single-serve
packets of low-fat microwave popcorn

Sugar-free
hot chocolate packets

Small
toys

Glow
sticks

Costume
jewelry (plastic rings, necklaces and bracelets)

Funny
Halloween glasses

Tiny
decks of cards

Small
stuffed animals

Pencils,
erasers, markers or crayons

Stickers
or temporary tattoos

Bookmarks

Coloring
books

Bottles
of bubbles

Coins
(pennies, nickels, dimes)

Bouncy
balls

Jump
ropes

Sidewalk
chalk

Plastic
or foam fliers

The Halloween holiday provides
parents and caregivers with a great opportunity to help kids learn more about
healthy eating; the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate provides
information about how to enjoy all foods in moderation.

Related Resources

Jeannie Nichols| A potluck can be an opportunity to socialize and to taste a wide variety of foods. This bulletin gives tips on organizing a safe potluck and serving food safely to avoid illness, on handling leftovers safely, and hints to make your potluck special.